Sound Bites: The Art Of Chocolate Making And Experimenting With ‘Funky’ Flavor Combinations

St. Louis on the Air’s latest Sound Bites segment with Sauce Magazine explored how local chocolatiers create confections ranging from truffles and sauces to classic chocolate bars – and what makes them different from mass-produced chocolates from companies such as Mars and Hershey’s.

It’s one thing to make chocolate, but another to whip it up as a delicacy.

“A chocolate maker is somebody who actually takes the cacao bean and turns that into chocolate. A chocolatier is somebody who takes chocolate and then turns it into confections,” Klene explained.

Pelletier, who opened Kakao 10 years ago, detailed how his business goes about making their product.

“[We blend] together three different chocolates: one of them comes from San Francisco, one from Belgium and one from Switzerland,” he said. “So we're re-tempering the chocolate and turning them into truffles or turning them into caramels or adding them to things like our marshmallow pies or to make other treats.”

Five local chocolatiers are highlighted in the magazine’s latest issue. All have unique takes on how they experiment with candy-making. Klene pointed out how various foods and drinks, such as mushrooms or beer, can pair well with chocolate.

“It's really cool how you can find [that] almost anything can go with chocolate – whether it's a lighter chocolate or a darker chocolate – if you can find the right flavor pairing,” she said.

Various “weird and funky” flavor combinations mentioned include: a blueberry, sheep’s yogurt and granola truffle; a Rwanda Nespresso truffle with a passion fruit ganache; and a raspberry, balsamic vinegar and goat cheese truffle.

Pelletier said he pays attention to what the other local chocolatiers are cooking up because “there’s a lot of room for great chocolate.”

Listen to the full discussion:

“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Alex Heuer, Evie Hemphill, Lara Hamdan and Jon Lewis give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.